"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.

An Open Letter to Amb. Chol Ajongo, South Sudanese Ambassador to Kenya

Monday, November 19, 2018 (PW) — I have so much to bring to your courtesy which I am going to have to try constricting in this letter. But before that, please accept my greetings and sincere accolade to you and the entire embassy. Despite of the seemly unending trials inflicted to South Sudanese in general and students in particular, the Embassy has commendably stood their ground in service provision and representing us in Kenya. We very much appreciate.

It is admittedly boring that South Sudanese Students Association in Kenya (SSSAK) gets theatrically chaotic during every election period. It is embarrassing to the association as much as it is also disappointing to you, His Excellency and the entire principled Embassy. I am therefore, obliged by the relating plight and consequential uncertain forthcomings of the association to quickly seek your attention. Please allow me to briefly highlight the genesis of the triggers that have managed to plunge the association into the plight am talking about.

The outgoing Interim Leadership of SSSAK headed by President Ayuel Taupiny Malek in August, formed an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and approved by the Council constitutionally stipulated. On the 16th September, the IEC commenced their mandate, but on the same date, a motion questioning the financial integrity of the outgoing President Ayuel Taupiny and his executive members emerged.

Because the motion was so subtle to the extend if ignored, could adversely affect the activities of the IEC, it couldnot be ignored, so the Speaker together with Council Members, formed an Investigation Committee (IC) to investigate President Ayuel Taupiny and his executives in accordance with the constitution of SSSAk and further requested the IEC to not clear Aspirants before the findings of the Investigation Committee. Among the five Committee Members, was the Deputy Speaker.

Upon completion of the investigation, the Committee submitted their report and recommendations to the Speaker, wherein President Ayuel Taupiny and some of his Executive Members, with irrefutable evidence were found to have embezzled funds offered by South Sudan United Front/ Army (SSUF/A) for the association’s activities.A thing they had deniedearlier while response to the then allegation before the reports of the Investigation Committee

On this ground, the IEC in accordance to the Constitution disqualified Ayuel Taupiny and some Members who had applied to contest the elections. In reactionto his disqualification from the Presidential race, President Ayuel suddenly became parlous by instigating menaces to jeopardize the activities of the IEC and also implicate the Presidential candidate, Tom Gatdel Maloa in the following manner:

Attempts to dismantlethe elections first, by devising plans to disrupt the IEC meetings and accusing them of aligning with his perceived opponent. As if that wasn’t enough, Ayuel Taupiny rushed to secure an injunction from court ordering the IEC to pause elections supposedly on 3rd of November.This is meant to frustrate the IEC.

Implicating Tom Gatdel Maloa in the mess by accusing him of joining SSUF/A. Tom Gatdel was summoned by the IEC to respond to the accusations and in no time, the Embassy also summoned Tom on the same issue which Tom satisfactorily responded to both the IEC and the Embassy. He was once again cleared from the false accusation by Ayuel Taupiny and his cohorts. It really baffles when Ayuel Taupiny who is a member of SSUF/A,keep accusing other people of the same, forgetting that students trusted him to take over the interim Presidency in SSSAK, knowing that the Constitution of SSSAK does not discriminate on political, ethnic or religious grounds.

Resorted toa spree of unconstitutional decrees, first, by dismissing all the Members of the same IEC which recently dragged to court. On the same token, he expelled his Deputy President, Bush Akech Chol from his position. The Council leadership was also warned and similarly accused of alignment. The creation of unnecessary leadership vacuum has fueled the already intoxicated SSSAK activities.

His Excellency, even as you read through the above paragraphs, you may wonder how the student fraternity far reacted to this unfortunate unfolding. Well, a famous adage that says “when the Elephants fight, the grass suffers” is unfortunately at play.Students are polarized on this politicized scenery with various diverging views as many accuses the Embassy of supporting Ayuel Taupiny and for doing nearly nothing to quell the situation.

Other opinions postulate tribal alignments among students between the disqualified Dinka (Ayuel Taupiny) and the qualified Nuer (Tom Gatdel). We do not want to go through the shrugging phenomena the association is gradually bending over.

Having narrated in precision the genesis and the ostensible developments in SSSAK, as a concerned student, I would like to request your intervention to foster the Constitution of SSSAK, save the IEC and its electoral process plus other organs of the association hat are facing disenfranchisement. Students only want elections done as planned and hopefully the other related issues will follow suit.

I don’t claim to fully understand the correlation between the Embassy and the Students in Kenya. But, beside the diplomatic, representation and protective roles of the Embassy as vividly learned from Zimbabwe in March 2017, when South Sudanese students flocked to the South Sudan’s Embassy to Zimbabwe seeking refuge from starvation. Paranoid as Students maybe, our Embassy is the only place we can always count on.

Finally His Excellency, Students should not be held hostage simply because Ayuel Taupiny is disqualified from vying for a top sit. This situation, where the outgoing President continue to create un-conducive environment to feed their interests,only reminds me of the two women before King Solomon, claiming ownership of a living baby where the second woman accepted the baby to be divided into two and distributed to the two women (1 kings 3:16-28).

His Excellency, It’s high time such characters that instigate chaos to destabilize our noble association so as to achieve their selfish interests are discouraged. If they are not stopped and asked to bow to the Constitution, I am afraid; the future of SSSAk may remain gloomy regardless of the pending court decision. It is an alarm that deserves your attention Amb. Chol.

Yours sincerely,

The author, Bol Deng Bol, is a concerned South Sudanese student in Kenya and can be reached via his email: boldeng2013@gmail.com

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